A moment in San Francisco
by Sorry to Burst Your Bubble
Summary: An Out of Oz story. Dorothy Gale is shaken when she returned to San Francisco only to find that things will never be the same again. The person she finds to confide in is none other than Elphaba's granddaughter.


Disclaimer: I do not own Wicked, or Out of Oz all rights belong to Gregory Maguire.

A Moment in San Francisco

By: Sorry to Burst Your Bubble

The twister had dropped Dorothy and Toto in front of the hotel. The sixteen-year-old looked around her, all she could see was the wreckage the earthquake had left. She sat on the broken steps of the hotel and cried. She petted her Scottish terrier as she did so. _Oh! Now, what am I going to do?_ Wiping away her tears, she tried to put a smile on her face. "Come on, boy! Let's go find out what happened to Uncle Henry, and Aunt Em, even though we're probably not going to like the outcome. It's something we must do. I have a sinking feeling in my stomach."

Rain had found her way to San Francisco it had taken her a little while to travel over the shining seas. Once she had landed, the citizens of San Francisco had forgotten it was by broom. They immediately recruited her for assistance at a local police station. She obliged immediately, anything to distract her thoughts from the splitting up of her mom (Candle), and her father (Liir). Or the transgender thing with Tip. Even Lady Glinda's voluntary incarceration tickled her nerves just a little. She knew she wasn't alone spiritually, but physically she felt it.

"Stay here, boy, I'll be back, promise," Dorothy said bending down to give him a scratch on the head, and a kiss on the nose. She made her way up the steps to the police station, and slowly pushed the door open. She had this massive urge to bulldoze her way through the crowd. It was so loud in the building there was a humming in her ears.

Sure enough, the list of the dead had proven that Henry and his wife Emily Gale were no longer alive. She walked, her shoulders crumbled with sadness. She didn't see where she was going, and before she could stop herself she ran into someone.

Feeling the knock to her backside Rain turned around, "Watch where you–."

"Sorry… Clumsy." Dorothy said, brushing imaginary dust from her dress.

"Dorothy Gale? It's been, sometime, since I last saw you. Why the sullen face?"

"Because… Because."

"Here," Rain put her hand on Dorothy's shoulder, "Dear let's go outside. You need some fresh air. I can tell you're about to burst like a soap bubble."

Dorothy sniffled a, "Thank you"

Rain sat down on the stoop of the police station. Dorothy followed suit; Toto rubbing against her ankles.

The farm girl, now travel extraordinaire looked at Rain. Now since she really had the time to look at her. She noticed her acquaintance wasn't green.

"Did you notice your skin, Rain?"

"What do you mean?" Rain asked, but upon looking down she saw what the other had meant, "Oh! Who would have thought?

"Now you blend in, congrats."

Dorothy beamed, her acquaintance smiled back.

"Okay so back to the matter at hand. What were you crying about?"

"Auntie Em, and Uncle Henry, they're gone," Dorothy put her head on Rain's shoulder hoping that this would untie the knot in her stomach.

"They're dead and gone. Just like your grandmother. I guess this sort of balances out the scales. Doesn't it?"

Rain looked at the girl. "You know, Dot, we all have our issues. I'm out of Oz because my parents couldn't stop bickering, and they split. Secondly, my boyfriend was magic-ed back to being a girl, and to put the cherry on top of the cake, Glinda voluntarily incarcerated herself. She wasn't biological family mind you, and she still cared for me. She didn't even know I was Elphaba's granddaughter, she just had to take my father's word for it. To keep me safe."

Toto was now rubbing at Rain's ankles, she calmly put him in Dorothy's lap.

"Oh yeah, I do remember, that whole Tip turning into Ozma ordeal. I just don't know what to do with myself. An orphan girl, free to make of myself as I please. I'm going to have so much responsibility now that they are gone. I'll have to find work someplace to get money, and then I'll have to decide whether to go back to Kansas, or not."

"You could write about your adventures in Oz." Rain singsong-ed.

"No one will believe me. Uncle Henry kind of got it. Auntie Em, I suppose, was just over it."

Rain patted Dorothy on the leg, "Just because your people of America don't see Oz. That doesn't mean, it doesn't exist. If you treat our world like an idea in your head. I have a feeling, people will be able to see Oz then."

"I'll have to get myself a typewriter," Dorothy said, petting Toto. She finally felt calm. She looked up at the sky. Then she looked at Rain.

"You better get going. Before you miss three months of your world."

Rain nodded, remembering she had left her broom in the police station. She gave the signal for Dorothy to wait a few moments while she fetched it.

"Alright, that settles it then. I'm going to accept my enrollment letter from Shiz University, to learn a better way to communicate with you than this time gap thing. Since it's an issue."

"You mean like correspondence?"

"Exactly." At this Dorothy jumped up and gave Rain a hug.

Rain returned the hug with her free arm; the girl was smiling at her, so she winked.

"What happened to the Grimmarrie?"

"Oh, that old book. I buried it," one glance at Dorothy, and she knew her question: why? "Because that book wants to be used so badly, I fear that it can entice people to do crazy, not to mention awkward things. If I want to change the world, Dorothy, I think the best way to do that is to do it myself."

"I think you're right, Rain."

Dorothy picked up Toto.

Rain nodded, mounting her broom. "See you in your dreams, Dorothy Gale, and don't forget to write about Oz."

"I won't forget." The sixteen-year-old called to the stars, waving goodbye.

Rain waved back as she sailed away on the wind.

FIN


End file.
